Comparative

First paragraph - introduction

In my comparative study of Sive by John Bernard Keane, Colder than here by Laura Wade and Knives out directed by Rian Johnson, it is evident that each individual character is shaped by the world and environment they’re are habituated to. My understanding of cultural context is standard to the three contrasting yet similar worlds in which each of the three texts is set and the beliefs, rituals and traditions that the character portray throughout their scenes.

Second paragraph - religion ( Sive )

Religion is a heightened topic in Sive, playing a prominent role in the narrative and throughout. In the play Sive, the Roman Catholic church played an influencing role in Ireland during the 1950’s. The influence of the Roman Catholic Church is displayed widely through the references to god and the actions made around religion. During the opening of the play, Sive and her grandmother, Nanna Glavin are having a conversation about Sive’s mother after Mena commented on her being no good, Nanna’s response referenced the Lord; “the Lord mercy on her,” Nanna expressed her longing and safety for her dead daughter through the word of the Lord. Thomasheen arrives at the Glavin household to exclaim his match-making idea for Sive “ God help us”. God tends to be mentioned during majority of the conversations between the characters which makes the readers believe the religious beliefs that are praised have shaped the characters. It is clear they believe in the afterlife as Mike was adamant on Sive being buried on holy ground “she must be buried in holy ground”. However, the characters being shaped by religion and god they also fear the devil “

Devil take the tobacco they’re making these days”, Nanna exclaimed how the headlights on the doctor’s car made her ponder whether it was the devil. Nanna once again mentions the devil but now towards Mena; “you’d sell your soul to the devil”. Religion played a prominent role in education, yet another example of how the religious world shaped the characters living in it; “we had a cookery class at the convent today” Sive was explaining her day at school which happened to be in the convent. Unfortunately because of how big religion played a role in society, Sive was often threatened with the nuns from the convent, especially from Mena; “ I’m sure the nuns would like to hear of your conduct”. Religion was in control of everything in Ireland in the1950s. It also controlled the judgement of others and the decisions of many characters. The Roman Catholic Church shed negativity towards a child being born outside of wedlock as it was considered to be a sin. Sive faced much negativity due to the fact she was illegitimate; “What is she but a schoolgirl… and illegitimate”. Marriage was deemed impossible for Sive from the start because according to Mena and the church illegitimately is considered disgraceful. Despite religion supposing its forgiveness, the church drew the line when the cause of death was suicide as suicide is a greater sin than being born outside of wedlock, it is a cruel, life altering sin that was seen as not forgivable. Lastly religion is also used t expose the hypocrisy between religion and he character. While many of the characters such as Mike, Mena, Seán Dóta and Thomasheen Seán Rua highlight there devotion to the Catholic Church and their beliefs to god they also shed light to their selfishness and cruel behaviour. The common example being trying to marry young Sive off against her will for their own financial gain.

Third paragraph - religion ( CTH and KO )

In comparison to Sive, both Colder than here and Knives out are arguably not shaped by the religious world. In colder than here, it is shown that the Bradleys are a family with no particular interest or belief in religion. A sum of their phrases mention god, however unlike in Sive, god is mention in a casual fashion not in a remote devotion to religion; “Oh for God’s sake”; “Blood hell” unlike Sive, both of the phrases are just said in causality and has no underline connection to religion. Colder than here reflects the modern world in which we live in today. In contrast to Sive, death has become less traditional in religion and more individualised towards the person. The characters in colder than here are shaped by the modern and more woke world they are living in. Many view god as someone they can talk about grief, worry, and general life problems without feeling judgement. Throughout colder than here, the lack of religious comfort highlights how alone and uncertain characters feel at times. Many feel that if Alec, Harriet and Jenna had some sort of religious belief and comfort, it would help them in accepting and coming to terms with Myra’s terminal cancer diagnosis and impending death. However the Bradley family are not slightly religious and find no comfort in reuniting with Myra in the afterlife and they don’t believe in it. The traditional funeral and Christian ceremony had been an abandoned idea by Myra as she was in favour of an eco friendly funeral; “ the caption ‘cardboard coffin’ appears”. Myra wanted to be buried in an environmentally friendly coffin, however her husband, Alec, strongly disagrees as he thinks it seems cheap and feels his wife Myra deserves better than cardboard; “we’re not. We’re not burying you in a cardboard box”. Myra does not agree with the traditional religious funeral as she was never considered a religious person and would rather plan her own individualised funeral that would represent her life. Similarly to Colder than here, religion is virtually non-existent in the film. Once again, all of the references mentioning god, religion or any belief in the church is delivered in a colloquial manner; “no. Jesus. We did not get into it”. During the interview between Walter and the detective, Walter used Jesus as way a way of expressing his confrontation with his late late father in law was not as serious as his brother in law, Richard was making it out to be. “Hell, Ransom had an argument with him” Walter once again uses religious terminology to exclaim the non severity of the situation. The Thrombey’s are so clearly shaped by the world and environment they live and grew up in. While we are aware Harlan is buried, we are not made privy to whether the ceremony was religious or simply humanist. Colder than here and Knives out are unbelievably comparable to one another in respect of non religious worlds or backgrounds but contrast completely with Sive’s religous based world and values.

Fourth paragraph - education ( Sive )

Education is a common theme in three texts, arguably more so in Sive and knives out than in colder than here. In Sive it is evident that some characters in the text are very well equation in comparison to others. For example the doctor, the priest, the nuns and the schoolmaster are showcased as more knowledgeable than others, which each having a third level education. Sive is following a similar path to those more knowledgeable than herself, and his determined to finish her schooling in hopes to becoming successful; “her head is bent over a book from which she is memorising sotto voce”. Sive recognises her own academic ability and is hopeful that her education will be her pathway to freedom. She would like to think having ad education will allow her to live independently and escape the traditional routes of housewife and working on a farm at home. However, unlike Sive, not all characters were blessed with the opportunity to be educated which lead to great jealousy of Sive from others. A prime example is Mena. Mena received little education and has to work on a farm as a result of this, Mena is envious of Sive; “ your uncle and I work ourselves to the marrow of the bones to give you schooling”. In addition to this, Thomasheen seán Rua admits that he is illiterate due to leaving school early and not fulfilling his education; “I had no time for schoolin’ when I was a boy.”. This sheds a light to the fact that education was not only a privilege, but more so often for women. Being educated was undeniably valuable and empowering but ultimately ignored by societal norms. Education was seen as a luxury rather than a necessity.

Fifth paragraph - education ( knives out )

Correspondingly, many of the characters in Knives out are undeniably intelligent and it is clear they are shaped by the educational standards in their world. Harlan is an extremely successful and wealthy crime novelist; “ Harlan started out with a rusty smith corona and built himself into one of the best selling mystery writers of all time” Richard Drysdale exclaims how Harlan established himself from humble beginnings and how it was partly possible that education played a massive role in Harlan’s career. Not only was Harlan successful from his career, he was equally as wealthy; “ Grandad gives my mom a yearly allowance and he’s never missed wiring a tuition payment to my schools” Megan highlights the fact that Harlan, her grandfather, was wealthy enough to pay for her education. In addition to her grandfather paying for education, Megan also reveals that she attends third level education; “ To see some friends at Smith”. In the world of Knives out, it is clear that education is considered to be ordinary in comparison to Sive where it was a luxury, especially for women. Walt, the son of Harlan, helped to run his father’s publishing company proving his intelligence through his strong work ethic; “